Doomtown: Weird West Edition
Doomtown: Weird West Edition Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Basics of the Game
In Doomtown, you're the leader of a gang struggling to seize control of a town in the Weird West.
You win the game if you have more control points (blue poker chips) than the other player has influence (red poker chips) at Sundown.
By playing deeds and building the town you'll get control points and money (in the form of ghost rock). You'll want to use that to recruit dudes to protect your property!
Hiring dudes will help you protect your deeds, and they'll usually increase your influence, too. If they aren't tough enough to deal with opposing dudes you can give them goods and spells to even things out.
Playing action cards can give you advantages and maybe even get you control points.
Throughout the game, players will alternate plays during various phases each turn. Whenever plays are made back and forth like this, it continues until all players pass consecutively. Eventually you reach Sundown, when you check to see if anyone controls the town and wins the game!
If nobody wins, all of the dudes and deeds in play will get ready for the next day. Players will draw more cards, and the struggle will begin again, until someone can seize control of the town!
Using This Rulebook
Doomtown can be a complex game, so the rulebook is a little unusual. These first few parts will tell you how to play in general terms. The later parts contain more complex rules, as well as play variants.
The Cards
Doomtown is a card game, and each card represents something: a person, a place, a thing, or an event. Fortunately, each card type is designed to work around the same basic layout.
You'll build your deck (or use one of the starter decks you can build from this box), find another player, and then fight it out for control of the town.
First though, you'll want to know what the cards mean, and how you read them. There are seven main card types in this set that you'll be dealing with:
- Outfits: A specific group within your faction that provides a theme for you to build your deck around. In addition to providing at least one ability, your outfit provides your starting ghost rock and daily production.
- Dudes: Members of your gang. Dudes are important because they can do a lot for you. They can add to your total influence, preventing other players from controlling the town. They take control of deeds, giving you control points. Most dudes have an ability or skill. They can join shootouts, which puts them at risk of being aced or discarded, but your opponents' dudes in the shootout will be at risk, too!
- Deeds: Important places in town are represented by deeds. They provide you with income to pay for more deeds, your dudes, and other cards. They also provide control points, which you need to win at Sundown. Most deeds also have an ability that can be used by the player who controls them (which can switch between players throughout the game!).
- Goods: Notable pieces of equipment, these will enhance your dudes' influence and bullets, provide new abilities, and more!
- Spells: Some dudes have special skills that give them access to these, which provide new abilities, but aren't guaranteed to work. Hucksters gamble with evil spirits to perform Hexes; Blessed are divinely inspired to perform Miracles; and Shamans seek favours from the Spirits.
- Actions: These represent events or occurrences, from the mundane to the extraordinary. You'll play them for a one-off benefit, and then discard them.
- Jokers: These cards can't be brought into play, but count as any suit and value when building a poker hand!
Card Anatomy
The rulebook shows an example image for each card type (outfit, dude, spell, action, deed, goods, joker), with the parts of each card labelled A to M as follows.
- A. Card Name
- B. Poker value: Every card in your deck will have both a suit and value for poker hands throughout the game. Various in-game effects will refer to a card's value as well.
- C. Bullet Type, Rating, and Bonus: The number and color of a bullet on a dude determines how well they can shoot (brass is a draw; silver is a stud). The number is the dude's bullet rating. On other card types, like goods, the number is preceded by a plus-sign, indicating a bullet bonus it gives to a dude. A silver bullet bonus denotes that it makes the dude a stud.
- D. Influence or Control: Influence (a red chip) is how you take control of deeds; control (a blue chip) is how much a card counts towards winning. On other card types, these will be indicating an influence or control bonus (+) or penalty (-).
- E. Faction Symbol: This shows which faction a dude or outfit belongs to. Some dudes don't have a faction symbol; they're known as drifters.
- F. Starting Ghost Rock: This is how much ghost rock your outfit provides at the start of the game.
- G. Ghost Rock Cost: The cost to play a card.
- H. Upkeep or Production: Upkeep (as seen on dudes) is how much ghost rock you have to pay to keep a card in play each turn. If it's preceded by a plus-sign (as seen on deeds and outfits), it's production instead, which is how much ghost rock that card generates for you each turn.
- I. Text Box: The area containing a card's keywords, traits, abilities, and/or flavor text.
- J. Keywords: These are in bold, found at the top of a text box, and are separated by bullets. Some have their own special rules, while others are referred to by various cards.
Card Terminology
Keywords
A keyword is a bold text descriptor that appears at the top of the text box on some cards.
Some keywords have their own built-in rules; we call these loaded keywords (see Loaded Keywords below), while others are used to provide additional effects when referenced by other cards.
Some in-game effects can give keywords to cards. There is no limit to the number of keywords that a card can have, but if a card somehow gains the same keyword multiple times, it is only considered to have that keyword once.
Traits
A trait is the plain text that appears below the keywords on some cards.
Traits produce an effect while the card is in play (or being played, if it's a cost reduction trait). You can't choose to ignore a trait, even if you want to! Some traits provide a constant effect, while others are circumstantial or triggered by an event in the game.
Abilities
An ability is prefaced by a phrase including Noon, Shootout, Resolution, or React. These indicate when in the game you can activate the ability. You can use Noon abilities during High Noon; Shootout abilities during a shootout; and Resolution abilities during a Resolution phase. React abilities are a little different: each one will tell you when you can use it.
Each ability on a card can only be used once per turn. They'll refresh at the end of the turn, ready to be used again next turn. However, if an ability includes the word "Repeat" after its timing indicator (e.g. Noon Repeat), it can be used more than once per turn. You can only boot cards to pay an ability cost requiring you to, or if an effect instructs you to.
Boot & Unboot
Boot means to turn a card sideways to use it (you might also know it as tap, exhaust, rotate, etc. from other games). If you can't boot a card for any reason (most commonly, because it's already booted), you can't use its boot ability.
If an ability doesn't require a card to boot, you can use that ability while the card it's on is booted, but you are still only allowed to use that ability once per turn.
Unboot means to turn a card upright again. Cards unboot on their own at Nightfall (the last phase of a turn). Sometimes, a card can unboot another through the turn. If you boot a card to use its ability, unbooting the card will not automatically allow you to use that ability an additional time that turn.
Controller & Owner
Cards in play always have a controller and owner. The owner is always the player whose deck the card belongs to. By default, cards are automatically controlled by the player who brought it into play.
Most card types require a card effect to change controller. The exception is deeds. Whoever has the highest total influence on their dudes at a deed controls it. In case of a tie, or if there is zero influence at a deed, the owner controls it.
The controller of a deed can use its abilities, and counts its control points toward their own victory at Sundown, regardless of who owns it. If you don't control a deed, you can't use its abilities!
Unique & Non-Unique
Some cards are unique in Doomtown, meaning each player can only have one copy of that card in play, and only if they have no copies of it in their Boot Hill. By default, all dudes and deeds are unique. Each other card type can be unique as well, which will be denoted by the keyword Unique on the card.
Since each player can have their own copy, this does mean there can be more than one of the same unique card in play at a time. This just means one must be an impostor, forgery, or something more nefarious, but no one can tell which it is!
Similar to how some card types will have the Unique keyword, some dudes and deeds will instead have the Non-Unique keyword. This means you can have multiple copies in play, just like you would with a goods or spell that's non-unique by default.
Public vs. Private
All locations are either Public or Private.
If your dude gets into a shootout at a Private location that you don't own, they'll gain 1 bounty (becoming wanted if they weren't already). Getting into a shootout in Public is fine (as long as you win, anyway).
Bounty & Wanted
While a dude has bounty, they are wanted. When your dude gains bounty, take that much ghost rock from the bank and put it on the dude. There's no upper limit to the amount of bounty a dude may have!
Bounty remains on a dude until they leave play or a card effect removes it. If your opponent discards or aces your wanted dude, they get to claim that bounty and adds it to their stash.
Home
Your home is the place where dudes you recruit come into play, and where members of your gang are (usually) safe from the other players' machinations. Your outfit is used to mark the location of your gang's home.
If a card or rule refers to a player's home, it means the location, not your outfit card itself. If a card or rule refers to your outfit, it means the card.
The 6 Factions
There are six different factions in Doomtown, each with its own icon. This icon is used on outfits and dudes to indicate which faction they belong to, and some cards will have them in their rule text to refer to a faction.
Attire, Horses, & Weapons
Some goods have keywords that restrict how many of them you can attach to a dude. A dude can only have one card with the Attire keyword attached, only one Weapon attached, and only one Horse attached.
These keywords don't prevent a dude from having one of each of these keywords. A dude usually wants to wear some clothes and carry a gun while they ride their horse, after all.
Headline
Some action cards have the Headline keyword, and only one Headline can be played in a given shootout! If an opponent plays theirs first in a shootout, that means you're out of luck with yours.
Most Headlines will be found on Shootout actions, but they can appear on any type of action that can be played in a shootout (such as a React).
Where Cards Go
When cards aren't in play, they'll be in one of five different areas: your deck, discard pile, boot hill, play hand, or poker hand.
Deck
Each player has their own face-down deck that they draw cards from during the game. If something in the game tells you to draw one or more cards, take that many cards from the top of your deck and add them to your play hand.
If something in the game tells you to reveal one or more cards from your deck, take the appropriate number of cards from the top of your deck and turn them face up, without changing the order.
If you need to draw, look at, or reveal a card and your deck is empty, turn your discard pile face-down and shuffle it to make a new deck, then draw.
Shuffle your deck before the game begins, and after each time a card searches your deck during play. Offer the other player a chance to shuffle or cut your deck in these situations, too!
Deck Building
A Doomtown deck consists of an outfit card (you must include one, and it starts in play), 52 cards with a suit and value, and up to two Jokers.
You cannot have more than four cards that share the same combination of suit and value in your deck.
Discard Pile
Each player has a face-up discard pile that their cards discarded from play or their hand go to. Discarded cards always go to their owner's discard pile!
If a card in play is aced or discarded, any cards that were attached to it go to their owner's discard pile.
You can look through any player's discard pile at any time, but you can't rearrange the cards there. It helps you see what your opponent is up to!
Boot Hill
Each player has their own boot hill. Cards in your boot hill won't be shuffled back into your deck.
Usually, boot hill is made up of dudes who have been aced (that is, killed) during a shootout. Other types of cards can also be aced during play, which sends them to boot hill as well.
Aced cards always go to their owner's boot hill, but you can look through any player's Boot Hill at any time.
Play Hand
Each player has a play hand of cards (usually referred to as 'your hand') they can use during each turn: a mixture of dudes, deeds, goods, spells, and actions for use throughout.
If something in the game tells you to discard one or more cards, they're discarded from your play hand unless specified otherwise, and they go directly to your discard pile.
At the end of each turn you refill your play hand, so don't be shy about playing cards.
Draw Hand
Throughout a turn, players will sometimes form another type of hand of cards: a draw hand (a hand of cards for poker). When you need to form one, you'll set aside the cards in your play hand, and draw new cards from your deck to form each poker hand.
Once players have resolved a hand of poker, those cards are discarded immediately.
The Cards Rule All
Whenever a card instructs you to do something (like move a dude, play another card, or trade goods), this is described as doing something "via card effect."
When you do something via card effect, you do just what the card says. If the card doesn't follow the normal rules of the game, that means you disregard the normal rules and restrictions!
Also, any card that says you cannot do something takes precedence over a card that says you can.
The Town
The town you're fighting over starts small. At the start of each game, you'll place your home (represented by your outfit card) in front of you, starting your street: the row of locations you own.
As you build deeds, you place them at either end of your street, growing the town into something worth fighting for. Opposite your street will be your opponent's. The space between the streets is the town square.
Locations
Places in Doomtown are called locations:
- Each player's home is a location.
- Each deed in play is a location.
- The area in the middle of the table, the town square, is a location.
Dudes in play are always at a location, and can never be at more than one location at a time.
Your Home
Your home is the base for your gang, and it's usually safe. You always control your home, and you collect its production each turn. When you recruit dudes, they normally come into play at your home.
Your dudes cannot be called out at your home without a card effect. Your home is Private, so if another player's dudes do manage to get into a shootout at your home, they'll gain bounty.
Your home is not a deed, and is represented on your street by your outfit card.
Town Square
The town square is the no-man's-land between rival gangs, and it's not safe. Nobody can control the town square and it's always Public, so nobody will gain bounty if they get into a shootout there.
The town square is not a deed. It is adjacent to all homes and all deeds that are not Out-of-Town.
Deeds
Deeds are put into play by the players, building up the town, and are generally safer than the town square. Each deed will have a keyword telling you if it is Private or Public.
The player with the most Influence at a deed controls that deed. If there's a tie for the most Influence at a deed (even a tie of zero influence, with or without dudes there), the owner controls the deed. A deed's controller can change any number of times in a turn. Changing control doesn't move the deed, boot it, or otherwise affect it.
You can't leave a gap on your street between deeds, and you can't move or rearrange deeds once built.
Your Street
When you build a deed, you can put it at either end of your street. As you build deeds, you build up a map of the town. As dudes are always at a specific location, they have to move to get around this map.
If a dude gets into a shootout, only the members of their gang who are close to them will be able to join them.
The rulebook shows two example layouts of the streets and town square: one at the start of the game, the other a turn or two into it.
Adjacent
When two locations are next to each other, they are adjacent. This means that:
- Any outfit or deed on a street is adjacent to the locations immediately to its left and right (note that empty lots are not locations).
- All locations on a street are adjacent to the town square.
- Out of town deeds are not adjacent to anything.
Nearby
Some rules and cards will refer to something nearby, which means at this or an adjacent location.
For example, The Cheyenne Club has the ability: "Controller Noon, Boot: Give a nearby dude +1 to each of their skill ratings." This means you could use that ability (if you controlled the Cheyenne Club) on dudes at the Cheyenne Club, at the town square (since it's adjacent to all in-town deeds and outfits), or at an adjacent deed or outfit.
Out of Town
Some deeds have the keyword "Out of Town." They're regular deeds in most regards, but they aren't placed onto your street. Instead, they are placed off to one side. They're isolated places, and are not adjacent to anything (including other Out of Town deeds).
Dudes can still move to Out of Town deeds and take control of them, it's just more awkward than moving around in town.
Poker
Before moving on to the finer details of how a turn works, you're going to need to learn some things about poker and poker hands. In Doomtown, you'll have to play a hand of poker at the start of each turn (during the Gamblin' phase). Plus, a lot of issues in the town end up being settled in shootouts, which also use poker hands.
You'll resolve each of these events by drawing cards from your deck to make a 5-card poker hand, then revealing and comparing it to your opponent's to figure out who wins. In these draw hands, the only things that matter are the suits and values of the cards.
Just make sure you never mix up your play hand with a draw hand!
Aces & Faces
In Doomtown, aces are always low. That is, they count as ones. Jacks, queens, and kings count as eleven, twelve, and thirteen, respectively.
Poker Hand Ranks
If you're not familiar with poker hands (or need a refresher), the chart below explains how to build each of them, and their hand ranks in Doomtown.
| Rank | Name | Description | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | High Card | No matching values, more than one suit | A♣ 3♦ 7♠ J♣ K♠ |
| 2 | Pair | Two cards of the same value | A♣ A♦ 7♠ J♣ K♠ |
| 3 | Two Pair | Two different pairs | A♣ A♦ K♠ K♣ 8♠ |
| 4 | Three of a Kind | Three cards of the same value | A♣ A♦ A♠ 10♣ K♠ |
| 5 | Straight | Five cards in sequence, of more than one suit | A♣ 2♦ 3♠ 4♦ 5♦ |
| 6 | Flush | Any five cards of the same suit, but not in sequence | A♠ 5♠ 7♠ 8♠ 10♠ |
While it can be difficult to make a high hand rank such as four of a kind with a regular 52 card deck, it's generally easier in Doomtown, since you can run up to 4 cards of each suit and value combination.
If you put four King-value cards from each suit into your deck, that's sixteen King-value cards. Add four 8-value cards from each suit, too, and that means 32 out of your 52 cards are on just two card values! Getting a Full House or Four of a Kind looks a lot more likely, doesn't it?
Tied Hand Ranks
Sometimes, your hand ranks will be tied. Both players might reveal two pair, for example. When this happens, the first thing to do is compare the ranking cards (see the table below).
This is why announcing your specific hand (such as "a pair of eights" instead of just "a pair") is preferable. This can make it a lot quicker to check tiebreakers!
| Name | First, compare... | Still tied? | Still tied? |
|---|---|---|---|
| High Card | Highest card in each hand | The next highest card in each hand | The next highest card in each hand* |
| Pair | The pair in each hand | The next highest card in each hand | The next highest card in each hand* |
| Two Pair | The highest pair in each hand | The other pair in each hand | The last card in each hand |
| Three of a Kind | The three of a kind in each hand | The next highest card in each hand | The last card in each hand |
| Straight | The highest card in each hand | ||
| Flush | The highest card in each hand |
* Repeat until a winner is determined, or there are no more cards to compare
Occasionally, draw hands will be identical. If that's the case, neither player wins. However, in the Gamblin' phase, you'll discard the tied hands and draw a new hand if you reveal identical hands; that's the only time you do that for a tie, though!
Comparison Example 1
Player A reveals 6♦6♣6♠9♠10♦ for "three of a kind, sixes."
Player B reveals 6♥6♣6♦4♠8♦ for "three of a kind, sixes."
The ranking cards are the three of a kinds. They're tied at six, so A and B compare the next highest cards in their hands. Player A's 10 beats Player B's 8, so player A wins.
Comparison Example 2
Player A reveals 7♦7♣7♠9♠9♦ for a "full house, sevens on nines."
Player B reveals 7♥7♣7♦8♠8♦ for a "full house, sevens on eights."
The ranking cards are the three of a kinds. They're tied at seven, so players A and B compare their pairs. Player A's pair of 9s beats player B's pair of 8s, so Player A wins.
Comparison Example 3
Player A reveals 2♣4♣7♣10♣J♣ for a "flush."
Player B reveals 6♦8♦10♦J♦K♦ for a "flush."
The ranking cards are the highest value cards in each hand. Player A's J is lower than player B's K, so Player B wins.
Cheatin'
Draw hands are considered either legal or illegal. Illegal hands are known as cheatin' hands in Doomtown. If you could make your draw hand with a regular 52 card deck, it's legal. If you'd need to add cards from another deck or two, your hand's cheatin'.
For example, 6♦6♣6♠6♥Q♦ is a legal Four of a Kind (hand rank 8). On the other hand, 6♦6♣6♠6♠Q♦ is a cheatin' Four of a Kind, as it contains multiple copies of the 6♠.
Changing Suits & Values
Sometimes a card effect can change the suit and/or value of a card in a draw hand. This can make a hand legal (by changing a duplicate suit and value card), in which case it's now a legal hand.
Similarly, this can also make a hand illegal by creating a duplicate suit and value of another card in the hand, in which case it's now a cheatin' hand.
Modifying Hand Ranks
Sometimes a card effect can modify your hand rank, either raising or lowering it.
A modified hand rank is considered to be the worst hand of that rank, losing to any unmodified hand of that rank. If both hands have been modified to the same hand rank, they tie.
Pulls
Some cards will ask you to make a pull. You do this by revealing the top card of your deck and checking its suit and value (remember: A=1, J=11, Q=12, and K=13). Usually, you compare the pull's suit or value to a number or suit indicated in the pull instructions. Once you've resolved the effect of the pull, discard the card.
Skill Tests
Some dudes have skills: Mad Scientists, Shamans, Blessed, and Hucksters. The name of the skill will be followed by a number; this is the dude's skill rating (for example, Mad Scientist 2). Mad Scientists invent Gadgets (usually a goods, but sometimes other card types). Shamans, Blessed, and Hucksters each cast a type of spell: Spirits, Miracles, and Hexes, respectively.
Whenever one of your dudes wants to use their skill, they have to make a skill test. To do this, make a pull and add the dude's skill rating, checking it against the difficulty of the spell or Gadget. If you meet or beat the difficulty, you succeed! This is gone over in more detail in the Skill Tests rules later in this rulebook.
Jokers
You may include up to two jokers in your deck (and you probably should!). They don't count against the deck size limit, so your deck should be made up of 52 cards, your outfit card, and up to two jokers.
While most decks will include jokers, some may leave them out. While you're learning the game, though, we generally recommend including them.
Jokers are only useful for draw hands and pulls, but they are wild cards that can give you a significant advantage!
If a joker is revealed in your draw hand, you choose both the suit and value for the joker. A joker in your draw hand won't make it cheatin'; for example, if your draw hand consists of a legal Four-of-a-Kind and a joker, you can use the joker to make it a legal Five-of-a-Kind. However, if the Four-of-a-Kind would have been cheatin' without the joker, it's still a cheatin' hand with the joker.
If a joker is revealed from your deck (except as a pull), is discarded from your play hand, or is in your discard pile, it has neither a suit nor a value.
Setting Up the Game
You've learned about cards and poker. Time to learn how to play!
1. Set Out Tokens
Create a central pool of ghost rock tokens, which is known as the bank. Then, create a central pool of influence and control point tokens.
2. Toss a Coin
Toss a coin (or use some other convenient method) to decide who's the Dealer heading into the first turn of the game. Don't worry if you lose the toss, this only matters through the first phase (the Gamblin' Phase) of the first turn!
3. Reveal Outfits
Starting with the Dealer and proceeding clockwise, each player puts their outfit card face up in front of them, marking their home. Leave a gap in the middle of the play area, between each player's home, to represent the town square.
Take the amount of starting ghost rock shown on your outfit from the bank, and put it somewhere close to hand. This is your stash. Ghost rock you gain throughout the game will add to your stash; ghost rock you spend will be taken from your stash. If you can't afford the ghost rock cost of a card, you can't play it!
Your ghost rock stash persists from turn to turn. You can save it up to pay for expensive cards.
4. Choose Starting Dudes
Now that outfits have been revealed, each player secretly searches their deck for up to five dudes who are either members of their faction or drifters.
Grifters: Dudes with the Grifter keyword usually have an ability that you can use at the start of the game. Most of them manipulate your play hand in some way, to ensure a smoother start to the game. You can only include one Grifter when selecting your starting dudes. During the game, Grifters can be recruited like any other dude.
Core Deeds: Some deeds have the Core keyword. One core deed can be played (and paid for) alongside your starting gang. Some Core deeds can only be chosen if your outfit belongs to a specific faction. During the game, Core deeds can be built like any other deed.
Gadget Dudes: Some dudes have the Gadget keyword, and like all Gadgets, need a Mad Scientist to invent them. You can only select a Gadget dude for your starting gang if that dude explicitly says you can. It will also explain how to invent in such a situation.
Once everyone has chosen their starting dudes, put them into play simultaneously at home (these dudes are known as your starting gang). Pay their costs from your stash when you do this. Some dudes have an effect when they enter play, but you ignore those abilities when they're part of your starting gang.
5. Draw Play Hands
Shuffle and cut your deck (offer your opponent a chance to shuffle and cut it, too!) and then draw a five card play hand. If you chose to hire a Grifter as one of your starting dudes, you can use their React ability now. If there is more than one Grifter in play, the Dealer gets to use their Grifter's ability first, proceeding clockwise to let each other player use theirs.
"I Go, Then You Go..."
Before we get into the breakdown of how each turn of Doomtown plays out, we should explain one last core concept now that your game is all set up: at every step in a game of Doomtown, players alternate making plays.
Exactly which plays you can take will depend on what's happening in the game, but what always matters is that the Dealer has the first opportunity to make a play at every opportunity for the entire turn.
For example, the Dealer has the first opportunity to:
- play a Cheatin' Resolution during the Gamblin' Phase.
- produce ghost rock during the Production Phase.
- pay upkeep during the Upkeep Phase.
- make a play during High Noon.
- make a play during Shootouts.
- play a Resolution during a Shootout.
- apply the effects of their traits.
After a player makes a play, proceed clockwise to the next player. They now get their chance to make a play.
These opportunities to make plays continue until all players sequentially choose to pass. You can choose to pass and wait and see what your opponent is up to before you act, but they might not have any secrets and also immediately pass, robbing you of any subsequent opportunities!
Starting Decks
If this is your first time playing the game, we recommend first playing with the starting decks available at the webpage for Weird West Edition resources. There's one for each faction, and they can be built using just the cards in this box!
Now that you've learned the basic concepts of the game and your play area is set up, it's time to walk through the phases of a turn!
The Turn: A Day in Doomtown
Each turn represents a day in the town, and comprises six phases:
- Gamblin': All players ante up 1 ghost rock, and play a hand of lowball poker that determines the Dealer: the player who gets the first opportunity to act at each step for the whole day.
- Production: Outfits, deeds, and any other cards with a production value add ghost rock to your stash.
- Upkeep: Pay the upkeep on your cards in play (usually dudes) or, if you can't or won't pay, discard them.
- High Noon: This is where the meat of the game takes place. You'll play cards from your hand to hire dudes, build deeds, shop for goods or spells, and play action cards. You can move your dudes around town, start shootouts, and use the Noon abilities on your cards in play. Players alternate making plays (or passing) until all players pass sequentially. This means that you can choose to pass while your opponent keeps playing out their strategy, but then make a play once your opponent has committed to their decisions! Passing can be a powerful strategic tool.
- Sundown: Victory is checked: does anyone control enough of the town to win the game? You need more control points than anyone else has total influence to win!
- Nightfall: The end of turn clean up: players refill their hands, cards unboot, Noon effects end, and abilities refresh. After that, go back to the Gamblin' phase and start a new day!
1. Gamblin' Phase
The Gamblin' phase determines the player who is the Dealer for the turn, and it can make you some ghost rock, too!
First, each player antes up by taking 1 ghost rock and putting into the town square. This is the pot the players are competing for during the Gamblin' phase. If you can't afford to ante, borrow it from the bank; you'll need to pay it back in the Upkeep phase, though!
Each player then puts their play hand aside and draws a five card hand from their deck (a draw hand). Reveal your draw hands and compare hand ranks. Whoever has the lowest hand rank collects all the ghost rock in the pot and becomes the Dealer for the turn.
Wait, aren't high hand ranks good? Yes, they are, most of the time. Just not during the Gamblin' phase. The Gamblin' phase uses lowball poker as something of a balancing mechanic. Your heavily stacked, high hand rank deck will be great in shootouts, but you'll have to give up the initiative (and a little bit of ghost rock) for that effectiveness. A weaker shootout structure will do the opposite during lowball!
Cheatin' While Gamblin'
If a player reveals a cheatin' hand in the Gamblin' phase (that is, a hand you couldn't make with a regular deck of cards including jokers), other players get an opportunity to punish them.
First, players check the traits of their cards in play. Do any of them mention players revealing a cheatin' hand? If they do, the trait will activate as long as the trait doesn't require you to be in a shootout (if it says "during a shootout", "in a posse", or to target "a shooter," for example). Some traits will give you the option of resolving their effects. If a trait doesn't give the player an option, they are required to resolve it.
If more than one player has traits that activate, start with the previous turn's Dealer and work your way around clockwise. If it's the first turn, start with whoever wins the coin flip and work your way around clockwise. Each player resolves all their traits before moving to the next player in this manner.
Once any traits have been used, you have the chance to use Cheatin' Resolution abilities, but only one Cheatin' Resolution can be used against a player during a given hand (also, you can't use a Cheatin' Resolution against yourself). As with traits, start with the Dealer and work your way around clockwise. Each player can either play a Cheatin' Resolution or pass.
You can use a Cheatin' Resolution on a card you control in play, or on an action card in your hand (but you can't use a Cheatin' Resolution during the Gamblin' phase that requires you to be in a shootout).
2. Production Phase
Starting with the Dealer and proceeding clockwise, each player totals their production and adds that much ghost rock from the bank to their stash.
You get production from your outfit; deeds that you own and control; and any other cards that have production indicated (normally in the lower-right corner).
3. Upkeep Phase
Now that you've made your ghost rock, it's time to pay your gang.
Starting with the Dealer and proceeding clockwise, each player pays their upkeep. First, pay back the bank if you borrowed in the Gamblin' phase. Then, pay the upkeep on any cards you control and wish to keep in play (usually dudes). Finally, discard any cards with upkeep that you did not pay.
Debt: If you somehow find yourself in a situation where you can't repay the bank in the Upkeep phase after borrowing ghost rock during the Gamblin' phase, the debt persists into subsequent turns. You'll have to pay the bank back before you can pay any other upkeep!
Cards with Zero Upkeep: If you don't pay upkeep on a card, you have to discard it, but you can't discard cards with zero upkeep in this way.
Dudes from Other Factions: When paying a dude's upkeep, remember that if they have a faction symbol which is different to your outfit card's faction symbol, you increase their upkeep by their influence!
4. High Noon Phase
This is it, the biggest part of the game! Starting with the Dealer, players take turns performing Noon plays until everyone passes sequentially. There are several possible Noon plays, five of which are playing the card types you just learned about: dudes, deeds, goods, spells, and actions. The other Noon plays cover moving your dudes around town and interacting with other dudes (usually by trying to shoot them). All of them are described below.
4.1 Recruit a Dude
As a Noon play you can recruit a dude from your play hand, putting them into play at your home. Use ghost rock from your stash to pay the dude's cost, and put them into play at your home, unbooted. The dude's abilities and traits (if they have any) are available for use this turn, but you'll need to wait till after your opponent makes their next Noon play (or passes) before using a Noon ability on any of your dudes, of course.
4.2 Buy a Goods
As a Noon play you can buy a goods in your play hand, attaching it to your dude. Use ghost rock from your stash to pay the goods' cost, and attach the goods to a dude, unbooted. Just like dudes, the goods' abilities and traits are available for use this turn, once you have a chance to use that kind of play.
There are two restrictions on attaching goods. Firstly, only unbooted dudes can attach goods. If your dude is booted, you can't buy them goods. Secondly, your dude must be at a location you control to attach goods. If your dude is at a location you don't control, you can't buy them any goods. As you always control your home, you can always buy goods for your unbooted dudes at home. You can't buy goods for your dudes in town square or at your opponent's home, though; you can never control those locations!
If you attach an Attire, Horse, or Weapon to a dude who already has one of that type, first resolve all relevant abilities around attaching that goods, then decide which of Attire, Horse, or Weapon the dude keeps, and discard the other.
4.3 Trade Goods
As a Noon play you can move goods between two or more of your dudes in the same location that you control. As long as the dudes are all at the same location, you can move any number of attached goods between any number of your dudes.
Trading goods has the same restrictions as buying goods, specifically that only unbooted dudes can attach goods, and only at locations you control. Note that booted dudes can give goods away (but can't be given goods), and booted goods can be given away.
There is one additional restriction when you trade goods between dudes: a goods can't be moved between dudes by this Noon play more than once in a turn.
4.4 Learn a Spell
As a Noon play you can have your dude learn a spell in your play hand, attaching it to your dude who is the appropriate type of spellcaster. Remember: Blessed can attach Miracles, Hucksters can attach Hexes, and Shamans can attach Spirits. Use ghost rock from your stash to pay the spell's cost, and attach the goods to an appropriate unbooted dude. Just like with goods, the spell's abilities and traits are available for use this turn.
There are two additional restrictions on attaching spells. Just like with goods, the dude must be unbooted, and it must be at a location you control. Unlike goods, spells cannot be traded once they're attached.
4.5 Build a Deed
As a Noon play you can build a deed in your play hand, adding it to your street. Use ghost rock from your stash to pay the deed's cost, and put the deed into play unbooted. Place the deed at one end of your street (you're free to choose which end). If it's an Out-of-Town deed, place it off to one side of the play area, as a reminder that it is not adjacent to anything.
Just like dudes, goods, and spells, the deed's abilities and traits are available for use this turn, although you'll still need to control the deed when the opportunity arises!
4.6 Move Your Dude
As a Noon play you can move one of your unbooted dudes to any other location in play (a deed, a home, or the town square). By default, moving as a Noon play boots that dude (there are two exceptions detailed below).
Booting your dude is considered a cost of moving, which means your dude boots, and then moves to the new location while booted. Your dudes can move from any location to any location, adjacency doesn't matter here (though isolated dudes may be vulnerable to being called out!).
Two locations offer special benefits when it comes to moving your dudes: your home and the town square. Firstly, your dude can move from their home to an adjacent location without booting. This means that your dudes can move from your home to the town square without booting, or from your home to the deeds on either side of it without booting.
Secondly, a dude can move from the town square to an adjacent location without booting, unless they are moving to their home. This means that dudes can move from the town square to any deed on any player's street without booting, and from the town square to your opponent's home without booting.
As noted above, there is one special case when moving from the town square: a dude who moves from the town square to their own home boots normally.
Although these two special locations allow dudes to move without booting, they do not allow a dude who is already booted to move. Note that you cannot choose to boot your dudes when they make these moves, they will move without booting. After dudes move to or from deeds, remember to check for changes in control!
4.7 Use a Noon Ability on a Card in Play
Dudes, deeds, goods, and spells can all have Noon abilities. To use a Noon ability on a card in play, announce which ability you want to use, and then resolve it (see Resolving Abilities below). All Noon abilities stay in effect until the end of the day.
4.8 Use a Noon Ability on a Card in Your Hand
Many action cards have Noon abilities. They work just like abilities on cards in play, but your opponent won't see them coming! To use an ability on an action card, announce which ability you want to use, and then resolve it (see Resolving Abilities below).
Using action cards is almost identical to using an ability on a card in play. The only difference is that you play the card from your hand when you announce it, and then discard the card once it's resolved.
Via Card Effect: Some cards have a Noon ability (or another ability timing, such as Shootout) that allows you to do something like move a dude, trade goods, or play a card from your hand. When you use one of these abilities, we say you're doing something "via card effect." When you do something via card effect, you do what the card says, so disregard the normal rules and restrictions!
- Example 1: A deed has the ability "Noon, Boot: Move your dude." This means you can choose to move your dude even if they're booted, and, if the dude was unbooted, they do not boot when moving.
- Example 2: A deed has the ability "Noon, Boot: Attach a goods to your dude." This means you can attach the goods to your dude even if they're booted, and even if they are at a location you do not control.
4.9 Call Out a Dude
We've mentioned dudes fighting; well, this is how you start a fight! If you want another player's dude out of the way (there are any number of reasons for this: an annoying ability or trait, influence preventing you from winning, you just don't like the way they look, etc.) you can challenge them with a callout.
To issue a callout, you need an unbooted dude in the same location as the mark (that's the term we use for the dude you're calling out). However, you can't call out a dude at their own home, and you can't call out your own dudes!
The mark must either accept or refuse the callout. If they're booted, they can't refuse the callout. If the callout is accepted, you'll get into a shootout. If the callout is refused, the mark has to boot and run home.
To reiterate, a booted dude cannot issue a callout, and a booted dude cannot refuse a callout. A dude can issue as many callouts as they like during a turn (as long as they stay unbooted).
Callouts & Card Effects: If a callout is issued via card effect, then you can ignore rules restrictions. A card effect can let your booted dude call out a dude, even at the mark's home! A callout via card effect can still be refused, provided the mark is unbooted. If a dude in their home is called out via card effect, they can still refuse the callout by booting!
5. Sundown Phase
Sundown is when victory is checked each turn. Starting with the Dealer, any traits that are active "during sundown" are triggered.
Now check for victory and see if a player has won the game. If you have more control points than your opponent has total influence, you control the town and win!
Sundown then comes to an end. Any traits that are triggered "during sundown" end, and then any traits or abilities that are triggered "after sundown" do so.
Ties and Victory
If both players have more control points than their opponent has total influence, the player with the most control points wins.
If both players have more control points than their opponent has total influence, and both players have the same number of control points, nobody wins and the game continues into another day.
6. Nightfall Phase
As nobody controls the town, the gangs rest up and get ready for a new day! Starting with the Dealer, each player does the following in the order below:
- may discard one card from their play hand.
- draws (or discards, if necessary) until they are at their maximum hand size (usually this is 5 cards).
- unboots all of their cards in play.
- ends the effects of any ability or trait that lasts until the end of the turn (including Noon abilities).
- refreshes the abilities on their cards in play, allowing them to be used again.
Finally, the day ends, and a new turn begins!
The Rest o' the Rules
Resolving Abilities
You can find abilities on every card type except jokers. Each ability will begin its first paragraph with a bolded text ending in a colon. This text describes the timing of when the ability can be used, and will be Noon, Shootout, Resolution, Cheatin' Resolution or React. Abilities on cards in play might also include any or all of the following in their bolded text:
- Boot (requires you to boot the card it is printed on)
- A ghost rock cost to be paid
- A spell type and target number (see Skills, Gadgets, & Spells)
- Pull (meaning you need to make a pull to determine how the effect works)
- Repeat (meaning the ability can be used more than once in a turn)
The text after the bolded text is the effect of the ability. This will most likely tell you to choose one or more cards or players. Be aware of any restrictions that might apply when making this choice.
When resolving an ability, first choose any targets mentioned in the effect, then fulfill the bolded text. After that, perform the effect sentence by sentence. You must do as much as you can, though any part of the effect that cannot be applied is skipped. However, you cannot skip the following parts unless they are described as optional (if these effects can't be performed, you can't use that ability):
- Choosing, moving, booting, discarding, or acing your cards
- Paying ghost rock
- Adding or removing bounty
- Having your dudes perform call-outs, leave or join posses, or get sent home
Also, if an effect is written as "do A to do B," you must be able to do both A and B to perform that part of the effect. If no part of an ability changes the game state, the ability cannot be used. For spells and other abilities requiring pulls, they must be able to affect the game state if successful, or for some results of the pull, if there is no success or failure involved. If you find out that you can't resolve an ability that you've announced for some reason, reset the game to the point where you announced the ability and make another play (or try and use the same ability again, with legal targets).
Shootouts
So, you've called out a dude, and they've accepted (either voluntarily, or by being caught booted and unable to flee). Now a shootout begins!
High Noon is paused until the shootout ends (but it's still considered High Noon). Once the shootout is over, High Noon plays resume where they left off.
First of all, some terminology: the dude who issued the call out is the leader, and the dude who was the target of the call out is the mark. These terms also refer to the player controlling each respective dude.
The shootout takes place at the mark's location. The location matters because the leader and the mark don't have to fight alone; they can each form a posse.
Once dudes have joined the posses, players take turns performing Shootout actions or passing, until everyone passes sequentially, just like they did during High Noon!
With Shootout actions finished, each side chooses who will be their shooter, and then draws cards from their deck, which they use to each form a draw hand. The draw hands are then compared, and the loser (the player with the worst hand) takes casualties.
After suffering casualties, the loser chooses whether to flee or to stand and fight. Once the loser has decided, the winner makes the same decision (to flee or to keep fighting). If both sides stay, they'll go back to the beginning of a new shootout round. Keep playing rounds until only one side is left (the winning side), or no sides are left.
The section below breaks down the sequence of a shootout step by step.
Shootout Sequence
1. Form Posses
When somebody starts a shootout, other dudes nearby can help out.
The leader forms their posse first, and they automatically join their own posse (they started the shootout, after all). One at a time, the leader's other dudes can join the posse, as long as they are nearby. Dudes who aren't at or adjacent to the location of the shootout are too far away to help!
After the leader has finished, the mark forms their posse. Just like the leader, the mark automatically joins the posse (they are the one who was called out, so they have to fight!). One at a time, the mark's other dudes can then join the posse as long as they are nearby.
Dudes at the location of the shootout can join the posse without booting, and can join the posse while booted. They're right there, after all! Dudes adjacent to the location of the shootout can join the posse, but they have to boot to do so. Booted dudes cannot join the posse if they are adjacent to the location of the shootout!
Remember, if your dude joins a posse in a Private location that you do not own, they gain 1 bounty. Crashing into someone's office and starting a shootout is generally frowned upon.
Once both posses are assembled, move on to the next step: making Shootout plays!
2. Shootout Plays
Starting with the Dealer, players alternate making Shootout plays until everyone passes sequentially (just like High Noon). Unlike High Noon, there aren't any Shootout abilities provided by the rules you can use by default. Instead, you have to use Shootout abilities on your outfit, dudes, deeds, goods, and action cards. Like all abilities, Shootout abilities on cards in play can only be used once per turn.
While Noon abilities last until the end of the turn, Shootout abilities only last until the end of the shootout. The bad news is that a Shootout ability helping your dudes is only temporary. The good news is that an opponent's Shootout ability that sabotages your dudes is only temporary, too!
There are a couple of restrictions on which Shootout abilities you can use. A dude, goods, or spell must be present in the shootout to use its Shootout ability. In addition, a dude or goods must be present in the shootout to be targeted by a Shootout ability.
There are two important exceptions to the presence requirements for dude, goods, and spell abilities and targets in a shootout. First, a dude, goods, or spell ability not present in the shootout can be used if it would move a dude into the shootout.
Secondly, a dude, goods, or spell outside the shootout can be the target of a Shootout ability if it brings the dude into the shootout, or attaches the goods or spell to a dude in the shootout. If an ability or trait moves a dude into the shootout, the dude will join the posse, and will gain bounty as normal if the shootout is at a deed owned by another player.
Deeds and outfits can use their Shootout abilities regardless of where the shootout is taking place, unless that card restricts it otherwise (a deed might only allow use of its Shootout ability if the shootout is at that deed, for example).
Some abilities will remove dudes from a shootout. If an ability or trait moves a dude in a posse from the location of a shootout, that dude will leave the posse. Some abilities or traits will specifically 'send a dude home' or 'send a dude home booted.' If a dude is sent home, they're also removed from their posse. Thus, you can send a dude home who is already at home, and they're still removed from their posse (but don't move otherwise). Likewise, you can send a booted dude home booted.
3. Choose Your Shooters
Once every player has passed in a row on using Shootout abilities, it's time for the leader and mark to choose shooters for their posse. Naturally, the Dealer chooses first.
The shooter is the dude in your posse who contributes their full bullet rating and bullet type. Every other dude in your posse is a backup, and the only thing that matters for them is their bullet type.
Neither the leader nor the mark has to be chosen as a shooter in their posse. It can be prudent to hide behind your scarier friends when hot lead is flying!
Read on to the next step of a shootout (4. Draw!) to see what all being the shooter entails.
4. Draw!
You're now going to set your play hands aside and draw cards from your decks to make poker hands. The highest hand rank wins in a shootout round.
First, you calculate your stud and draw bonuses. Your stud bonus is equal to the bullet rating of your shooter if they are a stud, plus the number of backup studs in your posse. Your draw bonus is equal to the bullet rating of your shooter if they are a draw, plus the number of backup draws in your posse.
Put another way, your shooter adds their full bullet value to your draw or stud bonus, depending on which they are. This does mean that if you choose a dude with zero bullets as your shooter, you get no bonus from them.
Then, every backup dude contributes a single bullet when calculating your stud and draw bonuses. Whether they're 4-stud or 0-stud, if they're not your shooter only their bullet type matters, and they always add one!
Example 1: You have the following dudes in your posse: Baker Andrews (2 stud), Allie Hensman (2 draw), and Ike Clanton (0 draw). You choose Baker as your shooter, leaving Allie and Ike as backup. Your stud bonus will be 2 (Baker's stud bullet rating of 2 + 0 backup studs). Your draw bonus will be 2 (Allie's backup draw + Ike's backup draw).
Example 2: You have Miranda Clarke (0 stud), Andreas Andregg (0 stud), and Allie Hensman (2 draw) in your posse. If Miranda or Andreas is your shooter, you will have 1 stud bonus (Miranda or Andreas's 0 stud + 1 backup stud) and 1 draw bonus (1 backup draw from Allie). On the other hand, if Allie is your shooter, you will have 2 stud bonus (2 backup studs) and 2 draw (from Allie's 2 draw as shooter).
Next, set your play hand aside. Don't get your play hand confused with your draw hand! Each player draws 5 cards, plus their stud bonus. You always get at least 5 cards!
After looking at their cards, each player has the chance to use their draw bonus. You can discard a number of cards from your draw hand up to your draw bonus, and then draw that many cards from your deck. You only get one opportunity to use your draw bonus. You can't discard and draw multiple times!
Lastly, use the cards you have to form a five card poker hand, and discard the rest. Remember, higher is better in a shootout! But if you cheat, your opponent could punish you once hands are revealed.
5. Reveal Draw Hands
Reveal your final draw hands and announce them. Make sure to mention if you're cheatin', too! If your draw hand contains one or more Jokers, announce what suit and value you'll be treating them as in your draw hand.
Some cards might have traits that are triggered when draw hands are revealed (especially if cheatin' hands are revealed!). These happen before anything else after the reveal, starting with the Dealer's traits. Once the Dealer has resolved all of their traits, proceed clockwise.
Next, some React abilities might be able to trigger on revealing draw hands. Again, start with the Dealer and proceed clockwise, just like with Noon and Shootout abilities, until everyone passes. Reacts are something of a special case: they can be played from any card you control in play, they don't require being in the shootout or bringing someone into it!
6. Resolution
Starting with the Dealer and proceeding clockwise, players have a chance to use Resolution abilities until everyone passes sequentially. Just like Shootout abilities, Resolutions can only effect dudes in the shootout unless bringing a dude into your posse.
One of the most important things that can happen when using Resolution abilities is a Cheatin' Resolution. They're a special type of Resolution ability that you can only use if your opponent currently has a cheatin' hand. Usually, a Cheatin' Resolution will deal out some harsh punishment.
A couple of things about Cheatin' Resolutions. Firstly, only one can be used against a player who has a cheatin' hand in a given round. It doesn't matter if they have to discard their cheatin' hand and draw a new one (yes, that can happen when you cheat), and their new hand is also cheatin'. They've had one Cheatin' Resolution used against them this hand, so you can't use another one.
Secondly, you can't use a Cheatin' Resolution on yourself. When you cheat, you can't just use a 'gentle' Cheatin' Resolution on yourself to avoid more severe repercussions!
7. Compare Hand Ranks
At this point, your draw hand is finalized, so check what hand rank you've ended up with, and announce it. If you are tied with your opponent's hand rank, check the relevant tiebreakers (see Tied Hand Ranks). Whoever has the highest hand rank wins this round of the shootout, and the other loses the round.
If you have identical draw hands, there is a tie and neither player wins this round of the shootout.
8. Determine Casualties
Time to find out how badly it hurts. If both players have the same hand rank (even when one of you was still determined to be the winner), each player suffers 1 casualty.
If you have different hand ranks, the loser suffers 1 casualty for each rank they lost by. The more you lose by, the more it hurts.
9. Take Your Lumps
Now that you know how badly it hurts, it's time to deal with the pain. Starting with the loser of the round (or the leader if there is no loser), players must discard or ace dudes and/or Sidekicks in their posse to satisfy their casualties. On the rare chance the round was an absolute tie with identical draw hands, apply casualties simultaneously.
Choose and apply your casualties one at a time. Remember that cards attached to an aced or discarded dude are sent to their owner's discard pile. Discarding a dude in your posse covers 1 casualty, while acing a dude in your posse covers 2. Discarding a card in your posse with the Sidekick keyword covers 1 casualty.
Harrowed dudes have slightly different rules for casualties. Sending a Harrowed dude in your posse home booted covers 1 casualty, discarding them covers 2 casualties, and acing them covers 3 casualties.
You are required to do all that you can to suffer all of your casualties, and you cannot choose to suffer excess casualties! If you suffer 4 casualties and have 2 dudes in your posse, you can't discard them (to cover 2 casualties) and then stop suffering casualties. You must do all that you can to suffer your 4 casualties, which in this case means acing both dudes (to cover 4 casualties).
If you manage to discard or ace an opposing wanted dude with a card ability, or if that dude is taken as a casualty in a shootout, you gain that dude's bounty.
10. Flight or Fight
After the bodies hit the floor, there's a chance for both sides to run home. Starting with the loser of the round, players decide whether they've had enough and want to flee, or to continue and fight another round.
If you decide to flee, choose any number of dudes in your posse and send them home booted. They can flee even if they're already booted, already at home, or both! Not all of your dudes need to flee! You can send weaker dudes home to safety, and leave your tougher dudes to slug it out. Once the loser of the round has decided, the winner of the round makes the same choice: flee or fight on. Just like the loser, the winner can flee with all, some, or none of their dudes.
11. Chamber Another Round
If there are still dudes in both posses, the shootout continues (otherwise, it ends, as explained below). Go back to step 2, where you get another opportunity to make Shootout plays, and proceed through the rest of the shootout round. Note you can choose a different shooter each round (and you might have to...)!
Ending a Shootout
There's only one way to end a shootout: empty at least one of the posses! This can happen through suffering casualties, by sending dudes home using abilities, or by choosing to flee. But as soon as at least one posse is empty, the shootout ends. The surviving posse wins the shootout.
You can't use abilities to move dudes into the shootout and try to continue it; once a posse is empty, it's over. If a shootout ends because a posse is emptied through casualties, the surviving posse still gets the opportunity to flee (send any of their dudes in the posse home booted). But if a shootout ends because a posse is emptied through any other means, such as Shootout or Resolution abilities, the surviving posse does not have that opportunity!
When a shootout ends, any remaining posses dissolve (with dudes who didn't flee staying in that location) and the effects of any Shootout abilities come to an end (those are momentary advantages, and the moment has passed!).
Jobs
Some cards will let your dudes attempt to carry out a job. Think of a callout as an opportunistic encounter, and a job as something your gang planned in advance. You form a posse to try and achieve a specific goal, rather than just starting up a brawl.
Most jobs come from action cards, although any card type can have job abilities.
Job Sequence
Jobs are Noon abilities, and mostly follow the usual sequence outlined below, although each job offers a different benefit, explained after the clause "If this job is successful."
The catch is that other players can interfere with your carefully laid plans! Here's how to perform a job.
1. Announce the Job
Announce the job ability you want to use. This can be from an action card in your hand, or from a card in play.
Each job requires a leader, the dude you're trusting to carry it out. If the job ability is on a dude, that dude must be the leader. If the job ability is on a card attached to a dude, that dude must be the leader. If the job ability is on a deed, outfit, or action card, any of your dudes can be the leader. No matter what, though, the leader must be unbooted to start a job!
Jobs also have a mark: a person, place, or thing that they target. The first sentence of a job tells you what it marks, and the leader doesn't have to be anywhere near the mark!
2. Check Costs & Targets
Make sure that you can pay any costs to start the job. For example, can you pay the ghost rock for the action card? Some Jobs have additional costs in the form of posse requirements. Make sure you also satisfy those!
If a job requires booting as a part of the cost (e.g. the card says, "Noon Job, Boot:"), the leader is the dude who boots to pay that cost. This is regardless of what card the ability was on. If a goods, outfit, spell, or any other card type requires booting for the job, it is the dude leading the job who boots to pay that.
Finally, double-check that the mark is a valid target for the job, and no one has any effects preventing it. If you pay all necessary costs and the mark is valid, pay the ghost rock cost for the job (if any). Otherwise, you cannot start the job as your current Noon play.
3. Form the Leader's Posse
Now the player running the job forms their posse, meeting any requirements imposed by it. First, the leader joins their posse (this is not optional). If the leader did not boot to start the job, they remain unbooted while joining the posse, regardless of the mark's location.
The leader's other dudes have the chance to join the posse, but unlike forming a posse for a shootout, jobs have a fixed sequence for this.
First, dudes at the leader's location may boot to join the posse. Second, dudes adjacent to the leader's location may boot to join the posse. Each member of the posse is then moved to the location of the mark (unless they are already at the mark's location), one dude at a time.
Once the current posse is at the location of the mark, the leader has the opportunity to add more dudes to their posse! First, dudes adjacent to the mark's location may boot to join the posse, and move to the mark's location. Then, dudes at the mark's location may join the posse (without booting, and even if booted).
Note that if the leader and mark are at the same location when you begin forming the leader's posse, this means all your dudes at that location should join in the final and fourth step, since they won't boot when joining at the mark's location!
Also, if a movement restriction would prevent a dude from moving to the location of the mark, they cannot join the posse.
The leader's posse is now fully assembled!
4. Form the Mark's Posse
The mark's controller may now assemble a posse to oppose the job (but is not required to). If no one controls the mark, or the mark doesn't oppose it, a player may still opt to try and prevent the job (proceeding clockwise from the leader's controller).
The mark's controller is more restricted as to who can join their posse. In fact, it's identical to forming a posse for a shootout, except for one key difference: the mark does not have to join the posse (but it's often a good idea).
Dudes at the location of the mark can join the posse without booting, and can join the posse while booted. They're right there, after all! Dudes adjacent to the location of the mark can also join the posse, but they have to boot to do so.
5. Check for Opposition
If a posse was not formed to oppose the job, it is automatically successful (skip ahead to "Resolve the Job"). If both the leader and the mark have a posse, a shootout begins.
6. A Shootout Begins
If the posses are at a Private location, give every dude not controlled by the location's owner 1 bounty, as normal. Then move directly to the Shootout Plays step (see Shootout Sequence), since posses have already been formed!
If the leader wins the shootout, the job is successful; move on to "Resolve the Job." If the mark wins the shootout, the job fails and the ability ends (move onto the next player's opportunity to make a High Noon play).
7. Resolve the Job
If the mark, or any other player, didn't oppose the job, couldn't oppose it, or tried and failed to oppose it, the job is considered successful. Send all dudes in the leader's posse home booted (this isn't optional).
Now resolve the "If this job is successful..." part of the job ability. Depending on the job, this might do something to the mark (if still in play), or do something for your leader (or the card with the job ability, to a card in your discard pile, etc.). A job's resolution is a card effect, so simply do as it says.
Once you've resolved your job's effect, your posse dissolves (all of the dudes leave your posse).
Skills, Gadgets, & Spells
Some dudes put the 'weird' in 'weird west'. Hucksters gamble with evil spirits. Blessed call forth divine interventions. Shamans call on the spirits of the land. Mad Scientists are inspired by unearthly whispers.
Dudes with any of those four loaded keywords are known as skilled dudes and have access to specific cards and actions.
Inventing Gadgets
Gadgets can't be brought in as a normal Noon play, they have to be invented. Your Mad Scientist can boot to invent a Gadget in your play hand as a Noon play.
First, announce what Gadget you're planning to invent, and the Mad Scientist who'll be doing the inventing. Just like when buying goods, the dude needs to be unbooted and at a location that you control.
Then, pay for the Gadget using ghost rock from your stash and boot the chosen Mad Scientist. If a Gadget has an additional cost, pay that now.
Next, make a Mad Scientist skill test (pull the top card of your deck, then add the inventing dude's Mad Scientist skill rating to the value of that card). Compare the total of the skill test to the difficulty of the Gadget (the number noted on the Gadget keyword, such as 'Gadget 4'). If the skill test equals or exceeds the difficulty, the Gadget is successfully invented. If it's less than the difficulty, it fails!
If the invention attempt fails, put the Gadget into your discard pile. If it succeeds and the card is a goods, attach it to the inventor; if the card is a dude, put it into play at the same location as the inventor; or if the card is a deed, put it into play at either end of your street.
Once invented, Gadgets are identical to normal cards of their type.
Inventing via Card Effect
If a card effect allows you to play a goods, dude, or deed, you can use them to play Gadgets of the appropriate type, but you still need to invent them!
This means you'll have to boot a Mad Scientist and make a skill pull to successfully invent the Gadget. However, the inventor can be at any location (allowed by the card), and does not need to control that location! In addition, if the Gadget is a goods, it does not need to attach to the inventor.
Spellcasters & Spells
Once a dude attaches a spell, they can use its abilities. Remember, Hucksters can attach Hexes; Blessed can attach Miracles; and Shamans can attach Spirits.
To cast a spell, declare the use of the ability like normal, but the dude must make a skill test to resolve the effects of the spell's ability (except, of course, for any part of the ability that impacts whether the spell is successful). When casting a spell, the skill test is considered a cost (see Resolving Abilities).
To resolve the skill test, pull the top card of your deck, then add the spellcasting dude's appropriate skill rating to the value of that card. Compare the total of the skill test to the difficulty of the spell. If the skill test equals or exceeds the difficulty, the spell is successfully cast. If it's less than the difficulty the spell fails. Usually, nothing will happen upon failure, but the ability is still considered used for the turn.
Totems
Some Spirits have the Totem keyword. Totems attach to locations, not to dudes, and can be used by any dude with the Shaman skill at that location (as if it was a Spirit attached to them), even if they don't own or control the Totem or location! Totem Shootout abilities still must affect dudes in the shootout, or bring dudes in.
As a Noon play you can plant a Totem from your play hand, attaching it to your Shaman's location. Pay the Totem's ghost rock cost, and attach it to the location of that Shaman. Your Shaman must be unbooted to plant a Totem, and you must control the location.
Kung Fu & Techniques
Kung Fu is a keyword found on dudes that represents their training in the martial arts. A dude with Kung Fu will have a rating (typically between 0 and 4) associated with it, which is added to that dude's value while they are in play.
Having a Kung Fu rating also allows a dude to perform Kung Fu Techniques as described below. Although Kung Fu may at first seem similar to skills such as Huckster and Blessed, it is not considered a skill and is not affected by cards referring to skills.
Techniques
Any dude with the Kung Fu keyword may perform Techniques, which are special action cards that represent a dude harnessing their chi. Playing a Technique requires you to choose a dude with Kung Fu you control and have them succeed at a Kung Fu test.
To perform a Kung Fu test, make a pull and compare its value to the value of the chosen dude (including all bonuses such as their Kung Fu rating). If the pull is less than or equal to the performing dude's value, the Technique succeeds and you resolve its ability.
Otherwise, the Technique fails and nothing happens (the ability has been used to no effect, and it's the next player's turn to make a play). Any reference to 'your dude' or 'this dude' on a Technique refers to the dude performing the Kung Fu test.
Tao Techniques & Combos
Tao Techniques are part of a specific school or discipline and can be played in combination with other Techniques from the same Tao. These Techniques will state their Tao as a keyword (e.g. Tao of the Jade Rabbit), and many also include a Combo requirement.
To play a Tao Technique, follow the same steps as a non-Tao Technique, except the Technique will attach to the performing dude after resolution. If successful, attach the Technique unbooted to the dude; otherwise, attach it booted.
At the start of each of your shootout plays, if you have an unbooted Tao Technique attached to a dude, you must boot it, and then decide whether to attempt a Combo with it (if able). To Combo, your dude cannot have more Tao Techniques attached than their Kung Fu rating, and the Technique must have the conditions of its Combo currently fulfilled.
When Comboing, choose a Technique with a different name of the same Tao from your hand or discard pile, and the Comboing dude performs it as your shootout play (making a Kung Fu test again to see if it succeeds). Before making draw hands, discard all Tao Techniques attached to your dudes.
You may still play Tao Techniques from your hand with a dude that has reached the maximum attachment limit for Comboing (they just can't Combo at that point). Attached Techniques are considered attachments for all purposes, which means opponents can boot your Technique first, causing you to miss out on your Combo opportunity.
Kung Fu Combo Example
Emre, The Turkish Bear (Exp. 1) is in a shootout against Alan Campbell in town square. It's Emre's player's opportunity for a shootout play, and they choose to have Emre attempt Raking Dragons.
They play Raking Dragons on the table, and pull a 6 of spades. Emre's value is 7 (6 base value, +1 for his Kung Fu 1), so he succeeds at the pull! Emre uses Raking Dragons to boot Alan Campbell and lower his value by 2 (making Alan Campbell a value 6 for the shootout). Raking Dragons then attaches to Emre, unbooted, because it belongs to Tao of Zhu Bajie.
Alan's controller has no plays, so they pass back to Emre's controller. They boot Raking Dragons and checks if they can Combo. Emre has Kung Fu 1, and only 1 Technique attached, so he is allowed to Combo if he meets the Combo clause.
The Combo clause on Raking Dragons says, 'Combo if that dude has lower value than this dude.' So Emre can Combo against Alan (since Alan's value is now 6 to Emre's 7). Emre's controller finds Zhu's Ferocity in their discard pile. Since it's from the same Tao, they can now play it from there!
React Priorities
Some cards have React abilities, which are played in response to various events in the game (as specified on each React ability). When an event occurs, a react window opens for all players to make React plays.
Within each window, players proceed clockwise from the Dealer playing Reacts. Each is resolved before the next player gets a chance to play one. The react window closes once all players have consecutively passed, and regular play resumes.
Should a new event occur within a react window, pause the first react window and resolve any Reacts to that new event in the same way. Then go back to complete the original react window.
Many events will occur that could potentially trigger Reacts, but players should not pause the game unless a player declares they have a React to play.
Some Reacts replace the original event with a new event. These can be identified by the use of the word 'instead' within their text. When a React of this type resolves, the original react window is closed and the replacement event occurs. Additional Reacts can then be played in response to that new event.
Sometimes traits also trigger when an event occurs. Traits always have priority over Reacts with the same event window. Thus, resolve them in this order:
- Traits with 'instead'
- Reacts with 'instead'
- Other traits
- Other Reacts
The inclusion of the terms 'before,' 'after,' and 'when' in a trait or react are specific and should be adhered to. 'Before' means the event is about to occur, and 'after' means the event has completed. The window for 'when' an event occurs is that the event is in the process of being resolved. Thus, the 'before' event window occurs first, then the 'when' window, and lastly the 'after' window.
Grit
Dudes have a statistic called 'grit' that is referenced by some cards. A dude's grit is the sum of their current value, current bullet rating (i.e. number of bullets), and current influence. Make sure to note the minimums and maximums described below when calculating grit!
Maximums & Minimums
The default minimum for number values in Doomtown is zero. If a modifier would drop a number below its minimum, treat it as its minimum for gameplay purposes. Value and hand rank both have a minimum of 1 instead of zero.
Most numbers have no maximum in Doomtown. By default, value has a maximum of 13, and hand rank has a maximum of 11. If a modifier would raise a number above its maximum, treat it as its maximum instead for gameplay purposes.
Cancelled Effects
Whenever an ability, trait, payment or other game effect is cancelled, none of its effects occur. It is possible for only part of an ability, trait, or other effect to be cancelled. This does not automatically cancel the rest of the ability or trait (except for effects that required what was cancelled to occur).
When the payment of a cost is cancelled without affecting the ability, the cost of the ability is still considered to have been paid, so you still resolve the ability.
If an ability is cancelled, none of its effects resolve, but it is still considered to have been used that turn.
Experienced
As a Noon play, you can replace your dude in play with a different Experienced version of that dude from your hand at no ghost rock cost. The new card replaces the old, keeping all goods, spells, tokens, and markers, and remains under any game effects the previous version was under (such as remaining booted). The card that was replaced goes to your discard pile.
You can only replace a dude with another version if the Experience difference between the versions is no more than one (non-experienced dudes are treated as Experienced 0). Thus, you can replace a non-experienced dude with the Experienced 1 version, and vice versa, but not with the Experienced 2 version.
You can replace a given dude no more than once per turn. Replacing a dude does not trigger 'enters play,' 'leaves play,' or 'discard' effects. If you don't have any version of a given dude in play, you can recruit an Experienced dude like normal.
Loaded Keywords
The following is a glossary of keywords that are 'loaded.' That is, they carry their own rules by default.
- Attire: A dude can only attach one Attire at a time.
- Blessed: A skilled dude who can attach and cast Miracles.
- Condition: An action that attaches to another card.
- Core: A deed that can begin the game in play alongside your starting gang (maximum 1 per player).
- Experienced: A version of a unique dude. Versions of the same dude can be switched into play for each other at zero ghost rock cost.
- Feat: A card with an effect when revealed as a pull.
- Gadget: A card a Mad Scientist has to invent.
- Grifter: Only one Grifter can be included in each starting gang. They usually have an ability to modify your starting hand.
- Harrowed: A dude that can satisfy additional casualties. They can be sent home booted to cover 1 casualty, discarded to cover 2, or aced to cover 3. A Harrowed Dude that would be aced other than as a casualty is discarded instead.
- Headline: Only one Headline action can be played per shootout (among all players, not per player).
- Hex: A spell that can be attached & cast by a Huckster.
- Horse: A dude can only attach one Horse at a time.
Legends
There is one additional card type you can find in Doomtown: legends. These represent towering figures in the world of Deadlands. A legend card serves as a guiding force for your outfit. They often grant powerful abilities at a cost (typically, a reduction in your starting ghost rock).
You can choose up to one legend to use with your deck, and they start the game in play. They do not count toward the 52 cards in your deck. Legend cards cannot be affected by card effects unless a card specifically states that it can affect a legend card. The rulebook shows a breakdown of their card elements:
- A. Card Name
- B. Starting Ghost Rock Modifier: The amount by which your starting ghost rock is modified.
- C. Upkeep or Production: If the number is preceded by a plus sign (+), your legend provides additional production. Otherwise, it's an upkeep cost.
- D. Keywords: Each legend will typically have a keyword, reflecting a key aspect of their character.
- E. Text Box: The area containing the card's keywords, traits, abilities, and/or flavor text.
Automaton Variant
The purpose of this section is to provide rules for play variants allowing Doomtown to be played solo or cooperatively. This is accomplished by pitting one or more human players against an Automaton player. The Automaton uses a standard Doomtown deck, both to play the game and as a randomizer when called upon to make decisions.
Unless there are changes made in this section, follow the normal rules for the game otherwise.
Definitions
- Archetype: A set of rules for the Automaton's play style. Each Archetype works best with certain types of decks. Each consists of Automaton Pulls, Programmed Reflexes, Effect Priorities, and Target Priorities.
- Automaton: The simulated opponent used in a solo or co-op game.
- Automaton Pulls: A pull made from the Automaton deck. Each Archetype has its own rules for interpreting the result of a pull.
- Effect Priorities: If an ability can cause several different effects, this describes which should be prioritized. Each priority is offset by {curly brackets}.
- Programmed Reflexes: Certain decisions an Automaton Archetype will always make, if possible.
- Target Priorities: If the Automaton triggers the use of an ability, but does not determine its target, refer to these.
Setup
Create a deck for the Automaton (or use one found at the Weird West Edition resources page) and choose an Automaton Archetype to complement that deck. The player(s) sets up as normal, including selecting and paying for a starting gang for the Automaton. Place the Automaton opposite the player(s).
Automaton Control
When controlling the Automaton, follow the rules outlined in the appropriate Archetype.
Making Plays
When it is the Automaton's turn to make a play, make an Automaton pull. This pull, combined with the Archetype and the following rules, determines what the Automaton will do, and to whom. Normally, the pull will allow the Automaton to do one or more of these: Move or Call Out (only during Noon plays), Play a card, or Use an Ability.
Lowball
During the Gamblin' phase, the Automaton's play will be to make a pull against a cheatin' opponent who hasn't had a Cheatin' Resolution played against them yet, and who it hasn't pulled against yet. If there are several such opponents, pull against the one closest to the Automaton in clockwise order. If there are none, it passes.
Automaton Decisions
When a decision needs to be made on the Automaton's behalf, there will often be a list of priorities to base it on. In those cases, apply them going from first to last. If there are still several options eligible after applying all criteria, choose {the card with the highest value}, then {the card that comes first alphabetically}.
Influence: When priorities refer to influence, always look at the influence a card will have during Sundown.
Targets: When a target is needed for a play, refer to the Archetype.
Movin': The Automaton will not perform a move that would put it in check (i.e. losing the game).
Choosing Effects: If an ability cannot be used in a way that would alter the game state, it will not be used. If several effects can be applied by the same ability, refer to Effect Priorities.
Playing Cards Not in Hand: If there are several playable cards in the pile, select the one with the fewest cards of that suit and value in play, then, if there are still multiple options, the one closest to the top.
Non-Unique Cards
If there are multiple copies of the same card in play that are eligible targets, choose based on the following criteria. If there is no difference, just choose one (e.g. multiple unbooted Pagliaccios in a shootout).
- Deeds: Choose {one with no dudes present}, then {the one closest to the home on its street}, then {the leftmost one}.
- Dudes: Choose {the one with the most attachments}, then {an unbooted dude}.
- Goods/Spells: Choose {one attached to the dude/location with the most attached cards}, then {make the choice as if choosing a dude/spell for the relevant play}.
Shootout Hands
For the shooter, pick a dude based on the following priorities: {more than one stud}, then {highest bullets}, then {unbooted dude}, then {lowest influence}.
After creating your own shootout hand, create one for the Automaton in the following way. Determine stud and draw totals as usual. Draw a number of cards equal to five plus the stud value. Reveal a number of cards from the AI deck equal to the draw value.
Make the hand with the highest possible rank by combining the cards drawn for stud value and up to one of the cards revealed due to the draw value. If there are several ways to make a hand of the highest rank, choose one that isn't cheating, if possible. If the same hand can be made with and without jokers, use the one without jokers.
Card Specific Rules
Certain cards are difficult for the Automaton to use effectively without extra rules. None of these cards are in any of the decks suggested for solo/co-op play (found at the Weird West Edition resources webpage).
However, once you start to experiment with your own decks for the Automaton, there is a list of cards on that webpage that require extra conditions to use in solo mode. There will be suggested rules for how an Automaton uses these cards. Or, if you prefer facing an enemy that is easier to run, you can just avoid those cards in solo play.
Twists
The aim of these rules is to create an Automaton opponent that is tough, but not unbeatable. If you find that the experience is not challenging enough, it is recommended that you try one or more of the following twists, to increase the difficulty.
- High-stakes Gambling: During Gamblin', if a human player has a higher hand rank, the Automaton gains ghost rock equal to the difference in hand ranks.
- Hired Help: Each time the Automaton is part of a posse, a Gunslinger token joins the posse controlled by the Automaton.
- Quick Reactions: At the start of each phase in which plays can be made, make an Automaton pull before other plays are made.
- Double Plays: When an Automaton pull is made, the Automaton both plays a card and uses an ability, gaining ghost rock in recompense for each option it can't do.
- Shooty Dudes: Automaton dudes get a permanent +1 Bullets upon entering play.
- Influential Dudes: Automaton dudes get a permanent +1 Influence upon entering play.
- Endless Dudes: At the start of each High Noon, the Automaton gets a permanent Gunslinger token at their home.
- Posse Teamwork: Automaton posses get an extra +1 Stud bonus.
Cooperative Play
For cooperative play of Doomtown, you can let the Automaton play the Villain in a Boss Battle (see Boss Battle! Variant). Due to the number of factors that can affect the difficulty when playing this variant, it is highly recommended that, in addition to modifying decks, you experiment with using one or more Twists to find a challenge that suits you. It can also be helpful to adjust the Archetype to take into account the scenario played.
For the Ghost Miners scenario, you can use the Gunfighter Archetype, with the following modification: When choosing an opposing dude to move towards, call out, or mark for a job, first priority goes to any dudes who can help fulfill the conditions of the current event (based on keywords, attachments, or location). Other suggested combinations of Scenarios and Archetypes can be found at the Weird West Edition webpage.
Bragging Rights
In order to compare how well you did in a solo or co-op game, this system lets you determine a score after completing a game. Add up the following numbers to determine your score:
- The total cost of all your cards in play.
- ½ of the remaining ghost rock in your stash (round down)
- +5 per CP above your opponent's Influence
- +2 per Influence above your opponent's CP
- +2 per dude in your opponents Boot Hill
- -4 per dude in your Boot Hill
- -5 per full day played
Since Automaton decks and scenarios have a large effect on game difficulty, this system is best used to compare games using the same setup.
Archetype: Gunfighter
Although the Gunfighter is the only Archetype contained in this rulebook, you can find more at the Weird West Edition webpage.
Programmed Reflexes
- Assigning Casualties: Except for Harrowed dudes, always assign as many casualties to a dude as possible. Assign them in the following order: Harrowed dudes (as 1 casualty), then Token dudes, then Sidekicks, then dudes. Use Target Priorities (below) if there are several options in a category.
- Bonuses and Penalties: If these can be applied to any dude, apply bonuses to Automaton dudes and penalties to player dudes first.
- Building Deeds: Alternate between building on the left and right side of their street, starting on the left.
- Call-Outs: Always accept them.
- Discards: Always discard cards starting from the right when discarding. It always discards as many cards as possible during Nightfall.
- Fleeing: Never flees from shootouts.
- Jobs: Always oppose them if possible.
- Paying: Always pays ghost rock required by abilities if possible.
- Posse Formation: Always attempt to bring two extra dudes to a shootout or a job that can be opposed, besides the leader, mark, or the dude opposing a job.
- Reacts: Always use them when possible.
- Upkeep: If unable to pay upkeep for all dudes, start by paying for the dude with the highest combined cost of dude and attachments.
Effect Priorities
If an ability can change the condition of other cards in several ways, prioritize effects as follows:
- Penalties to opposing cards over bonuses to own cards.
- Cards leaving play or entering play.
- Booting or unbooting cards (choosing the option that affects the most cards if applicable).
- Altering stud or draw status.
- Increasing or decreasing bullets.
- Other effects.
Target Priorities
(After applying the Effect Priorities above, when applicable.)
- Bonuses (affecting own dudes; reverse each priority criteria for opposing dudes): {greatest increase in stud bullets}, then {dude with highest bullets}.
- Bounty (placing on opposing dudes): {dude with lowest bounty}, then {dude with highest influence}.
- Dude Leaving Play/Control (own): {lowest influence}, then {draw dude (after shootout ends)}, then {lowest cost of dude and attachments combined}.
- Dude Leaving Play/Control (opposing): {highest control points}, then {highest influence}, then {stud}, then {the highest combined cost of dude and attachments}.
- Goods and Spells (receiving): {card without an attachment of that type}, then {card that gets a special bonus from that type of card}, then {greatest increase in overall stud bullets}, then {influence gain on a dude that has none}.
- Attachments, Booted/Discarded as a Cost or by Effect (affecting own cards; reverse each priority criteria for opposing): {lowest cost}, then {non-Gadget goods}, then {spells}, then {Gadgets}.
- Opposing Mark: {highest control points}, then {highest influence}, then {most attachments}, then {highest cost}.
- Penalties (affecting opposing dudes; reverse each priority criteria for own dudes): {prevent use of abilities}, then {stud dude}, then {dude with influence}, then {highest bullet rating}.
- Pulls (making): {dude that gets a special effect related to the pull}, then {highest skill (or value for Kung Fu)}.
- Posses (as leader and to join posses): {dudes without abilities that let them join later}, then {dudes that can join without booting}, then {stud}, then {highest bullet rating}, then {dudes with Shootout or Resolution abilities (printed or attached) that can be used after joining}, then {lowest influence}.
Automaton Pulls
When an Automaton pull is made, add the card to the Automaton hand, in the leftmost position. If this card has lower value than the card to the right of it, the Automaton passes. Otherwise, follow the procedure in the chart below based on the suit of the pull. Priorities are listed in {italicized curly brackets}. If a shootout starts during this process, do not proceed further after it ends.
If a Joker is pulled, do the effects for pulling a ♥, ♠, ♦, and ♣ in that order, then ace the joker.
If the Automaton has more cards in hand than its maximum hand size after an Automaton pull is resolved, discard down to hand size.
1. Move or call out (High Noon phase only)
- ♥: Move a dude not at an opposing deed or at home ({has influence at Sundown}, then {stud}, then {highest bullets}) to a deed not owned by the Automaton ({not controlled by the Automaton}, {highest control points}, then {highest production}).
- ♠: Move a dude not at an opposing deed to town square ({from own home}, then {from opposing home}, then {stud}, then {has influence}, then {highest bullets}).
- ♦: If possible without a loss of control points and without moving the last unbooted dude in town square, move a dude ({skilled dude}, then {highest influence}, then {stud}, then {highest bullets}) without booting to a deed owned by the Automaton ({not controlled by Automaton}, then {deed with an ability (printed or attached) affecting dudes at that deed}).
- ♣: Call out a dude. Use Target Priorities to select opposing mark, then leader. If this can't be done, move a dude ({stud}, then {highest bullets}) without booting to an opposing dude who can be called out ({highest control points}, then {highest influence}, then {most attachments}, then {highest cost}).
If a ♥, ♣, or ♦ did not result in a move or callout, perform a move as for a ♠ instead, if possible.
2. Play a card: If the Automaton has one or more playable cards in hand of the same suit as the pull, play one. Select the one with fewest cards of that suit and value in play, then, if there are several options, the right-most one.
3. Use an Ability: If no card was played, use an ability on a card. To choose the card type, start with the suit of the pull, then proceed through the following list until you find a card type with an applicable ability (wrap around to the start if needed): ♣ - ♦ - ♠ - ♥ - Outfit - Legend. If several cards of the same type have an applicable ability, use the rules listed under Effect Priorities. If one or more dudes are moved during Noon by this, choose the destination as for a High Noon play based on the pull.
4. Recompense: If no cards were played and no ability used, the Automaton gains 1 ghost rock.
Boss Battle! Variant
Boss Battle is a Doomtown variant that allows 1 or more players (working as a team) to take down an opponent playing the role of one of the major villains in Doomtown. At the end of this section the rulebook shows an example of the event cards used in Boss Battle.
Choose a Scenario
This base set includes two scenarios to choose from. Ghost Miners follows these rules closely and is more of a beginner scenario. The Showstopper is a more advanced scenario with more involved for both the Heroes and Villains.
After you choose your scenario:
- Take out all cards needed for the scenario and do any special setup.
- Take note of required or banned factions and cards.
- Take out any special scenario events.
Prepare the Decks
Build decks for each of the factions. You can also find decklists at the Weird West Edition webpage. Note that each faction can only be picked once.
Assemble and shuffle the event deck. By default, this deck should have 2 Hero cards per Hero player, and 2 Villain cards per Villain player.
Note: If you wish to make the scenario easier for the Heroes, make sure to include the event Stand Together, and put it on top of the event deck after it is shuffled (so it is the first turn's event card).
Place the event deck within easy reach where all players can read it.
Definitions
Villain: The player who is playing the Boss's faction in the scenario.
Heroes: The player(s) playing against the Villain.
Play Changes
- When the Villain uses an ability, they may pay 1 ghost rock (in addition to any other costs) in order to let the ability apply once per opposing Hero. If the ability targets an opposing dude, it may only affect a given dude once.
- The Villain's outfit card gets an additional +1 production for each Hero after the first.
- The Villain's hand limit and starting hand are increased by 1 for each Hero after the first.
- After the Gamblin' phase each turn, an event card is flipped and becomes active, and any previous events are removed from the game.
- When victory is checked, if either side would have won under the normal rules, they get a +1 stud bullet bonus to their posses during the next day.
Winning the Game
When Victory is checked, if the Heroes have 3 victory points, they win (unless the scenario has any additional conditions). Otherwise, if it is Sundown on the 5th turn, the Villain has succeeded at their schemes and overrun the town!
Scenario: Ghost Miners
The Miner's Alliance is ready to take over the town, but the other factions in town won't just take that lying down! It is recommended the Villain use the Deadwood Miner's Alliance outfit.
Setup: There is no special setup for this scenario, just pick faction event cards as appropriate.
Win Conditions: Use the standard Boss Battle win conditions.
Out of the Woodwork: The Villain player gains the following ability: 'Repeat Shootout: A 2 stud Gunslinger Token joins your posse and one dude in your posse gains 1 bounty. You may use this ability only once per shootout.'
Scenario: The Showstopper
The Circus is finally putting its plan into place! Can the heroes prevent Ivor's grand plan? The Villain should play as the Fearmongers faction.
Setup: The Villain's starting gang is Ivor Hawley (exp. 1) in town square, along with any four drifter or Fearmonger Abominations. Ivor has any two Hexes attached, but they cannot be the same Hex. These cards are part of the Villain's normal deck.
These are all paid for out of the Villain's starting ghost rock. Treat Ivor as having come into play from your hand after the 4 Abominations, reducing his cost and the cost of the two Hexes as appropriate.
The Villain also starts with a copy of "Open Wound" next to each player's home (including theirs). Each player chooses which side of their outfit the Open Wound is on. These are treated as owned by the Villain, but do not count for deck construction, and may exceed four (if playing with more than 4 players).
Note that for this scenario, the event deck is optional. If you want to play with it, then the each Hero gains the following abilities:
- Noon: Remove 2 victory points and ace an Open Wound that has at least one dude you control present.
- Noon: Remove 1 victory point and draw a card.
Win Conditions: The Villain wins if Ivor ever has 4 victory points on him when victory is checked. The Heroes win if Ivor is in Boot Hill there and are no Open Wounds in play.
A Special Job: Each Hero gains the following ability: 'Noon, Boot: Mark an Open Wound you control. The Villain automatically opposes, with a 2-stud Gunslinger Token joining the mark's posse. If successful, ace the mark.'
Not Taking Chances: If an Open Wound in play would be put anywhere except Boot Hill, put it in the appropriate Boot Hill instead.
Showboating: If Ivor is unbooted in town square at Sundown, before victory is checked, Ivor gains a victory point.
The Town Is My Big Top!: The Villain controls town square if they have more influence there than any other player. Otherwise, no one controls town square as normal.
Everything Up His Sleeves: The Villain may discard a number of cards at Nightfall equal to the number of Heroes.
The Show Must Go On: If Ivor is targeted by an opposing effect, the Villain player may choose to instead have it target any of his other dudes (if this is a shootout, that dude must be in the posse).
Minor Servitor: Ivor may not be discarded from play. If he must be selected as a casualty and would be discarded, he is aced instead. If Ivor is not in play during the Upkeep phase, the Villain searches their deck, discard pile, boot hill, and hand for Ivor and plays them to Town Square (at no ghost rock cost), booted. The Villain shuffles their deck if it was searched.
Loyal to the Circus: The Villain's drifter and Fearmonger dudes all have their upkeep costs reduced by 1.
Event Cards
Below is a breakdown of the elements on each event card.
- A. Card Name
- B. Affiliation: If a card has the 'Villain' affiliation, the card counts toward the events put in the event deck per Villain. Otherwise, the event counts toward the events per Hero. If specific factions are listed, the cards aren't restricted to those factions among the Heroes, but are suggestions as to which factions they typically work best with.
- C. Card Text: The effects of the event for the turn it is in play. If the event has any abilities itself, the appropriate team (i.e. Villains or Heroes) is able to use those abilities.
Multiplayer Variant
Source: the rulebook's Multiplayer Variant section, worded per the official Multiplayer document (OfficialDoomtownMultiplayer.pdf), which is the same text.
When playing with three or more players, the rules that change are as follows:
Turn order begins with the Dealer and proceeds clockwise around the table. In the case of a Shootout that doesn't involve the Dealer, it starts with the Leader and proceeds clockwise.
In the Gamblin' Phase, all players ante 1 ghost rock as usual. The player with the lowest hand rank wins 2 ghost rock and becomes the Dealer. The player with the second lowest hand rank gets 1 ghost rock, and any remaining ghost rock in the pot is removed from play.
When forming posses for a job or shootout, the Leader and then the Mark can invite other players not already participating to send dudes to join their posse. Those players can join under the same restrictions as the player whose side they are joining. Any dudes that join this way are referred to as third-party dudes. When making shootout plays, a third-party dude's controller can use Shootout abilities when it is that player's turn to use an ability. A third-party dude's bullet rating contributes to the bullet rating of the posse's shooter, and the dude can even be selected as the shooter if the Leader or Mark (whichever is controlling that posse) desires. If a third-party dude is selected as a posse's shooter, the Leader or Mark still uses their own deck for making their draw hand.
If a shootout occurs at a Private location, and the location owner's dudes are in the Leader's posse, that posse does not gain bounty for breakin' and enterin'. If a shootout occurs at a Private location owned by a player who has no dudes in either posse, then all posse members gain bounty for breakin' and enterin'.
After fulfilling any targeted casualty assignments during a shootout round (such as from cards like Pinned Down), the leader must assign the first of any remaining casualties to a dude they own (if possible). After that, they may assign the remaining casualties as they like. This means that a posse's controller can ace third-party dudes to cover casualties, although that player cannot do so if it would cover more casualties than required (e.g. a player cannot ace a third-party dude to cover one casualty). At the Flight or Fight step, players with third-party dudes get to decide whether their dudes (only) will flee the shootout or stay and fight before their respective posse owners; the loser's allies decide first, then the winner's allies. After those decisions have been made, the loser is next to choose whether or not to flee.
Bounty obtained from casualties is split evenly amongst the participating players. If the bounty cannot be split evenly, the player who controls their posse's shooter chooses how it is distributed (e.g. if there were 3 players with dudes in the posse and only 2 bounty). Any bounty gained due to a dude being aced or discarded by a card effect goes to the owner of the card that caused that dude to leave play.
Victory in multiplayer games is determined by gaining Victory Points. You win the game if you accrue Victory Points equal to or greater than the number of opponents in the game (e.g. in a 3-player game, 2 Victory Points are needed to win). Victory Points are gained during Sundown. When you check for victory, if you have more Control Points than an opponent has influence, you score 1 Victory Point. This check is carried out against each opponent, so in a 3-player game, a player can score up to 2 Victory Points in one turn. Victory Points are permanent and cannot be lost or traded.
If two or more players would meet the victory condition during Sundown (e.g. in a 3-player game multiple players have 2 or more Victory Points), then the following tie break procedure is followed to determine the overall winner:
- If one player has more total Victory Points than the others, they are the winner.
- If one player scored more Victory Points in this turn than the others, they are the winner.
- If there is no winner, then follow the standard tie-break procedures for players with equal Victory Points.
Solo Mode: Guide to Modifying the Automaton Decks
Source: the official Solo Mode document (Solo-Document-v1.1.pdf), Pine Box Entertainment.
The Automaton is intended to create a solo play experience that feels close to a regular game of Doomtown, played facing a human opponent. An important part of the game is the wide range of possible decks. To maintain this variety, the Automaton has been built to use a regular deck, not only to randomize its behavior through pulls, but to use for dudes, deeds, and all the other encounters you normally find in a good game of Doomtown.
To further support the number of different decks solo players can face, the Automaton has been created to play most cards (relatively) sensibly. However, there are certain cards that are either too complicated for the regular Automaton program to use, or just don't offer any benefit to a non-human player. These cards are included on the Card Exceptions list. It currently includes the relevant cards from the Doomtown: Weird West Edition - more will be added in time.
On the Exceptions list, cards are divided into three categories of complexity:
- Moderate (M) - typically a simple instruction, with no decision points.
- High (H) - a more complex instruction, involving evaluation of the game state.
- Not Recommended (X) - this card is of little use for the Automaton.
These categories are based on how many extra considerations are needed when the Automaton uses a card. Any card not on the list can be played by the Automaton following the normal rules.
Solo Mode Exception List
This list includes various adjustments to how the Gunslinger Automaton uses specific cards. Cards are sorted into the following categories, based on how much extra complexity they add when used in an Automaton deck.
Some cards are listed in more than one category - those leave players a choice as to how much extra complexity they want in their game. The complexity of a solo game can also be reduced by swapping out cards in a deck for others that are easier for the Automaton to use.
This guide assumes the use of one Doomtown: Weird West Edition (base set). Adding another one, or using cards from expansions, gives more ways to tweak the complexity of a deck.
Outfits: 4 (1 M, 2H, 1X)
- Deadwood Miner's Alliance - High: Use a dude with less than 4 bounty, then select dude as for gaining a bonus.
- House of Many Faiths - Moderate: Do not shuffle cards from hand or discard into the deck.
- Saved by Grace - Not Recommended: This Outfit is not recommended for the Gunfighter Automaton, since searching for and cycling cards is of little value to it.
- The Sloane Gang - High: Use a dude without CP if possible, then select dude as for gaining a bonus. For effect, gain the Control Point if possible.
Dudes: 8 (2 M, 6 H)
- E.B. Farnum - High: For the cost reduction, boot dudes at home, then stud dudes, then dudes at a location with Automaton stud dudes. Do not boot other dudes, and do not boot dudes that would bring the cost reduction above 10.
- Ike Clanton - High: Select a deed where the ability would give control to the Automaton, then a deed with the most opposing Influence, then the deed with the most Automaton bullets. When moving dudes, if there is a Rowdy deed, use bullets instead of influence to determine which dude moves there. Moderate: Ignore his ability.
- Jarrett Blake - High: To select the dude that leaves the shootout, select a draw dude, then highest Influence, then lowest bullets.
- Nathan Shane - High: If there are multiple actions that could be discarded, select Cheatin' Resolutions, then Resolutions, then Shootout abilities.
- Nicodemus Whateley - High: While Nicodemus is in play, the ability he grants is used before the effects listed under Effect Priorities, and when selecting dudes to use the ability, select them as if they were leaving play.
- Smiling Frog - Moderate: Discard Hearts if possible.
- Speaks-with-Earth - Moderate: Unboot the Totem with the highest difficulty.
- Ursula, the Worm Queen - High: Select the hex with the highest difficulty. For hexes with varying difficulty, consider them to have the highest difficulty they could currently have (e.g. for Paralysis Mark, treat it as if the difficulty was the highest value among opposing dudes). If several dudes have the hex to be selected, select a booted copy, then select the dude with the lowest Huckster rating for giving up the Hex, then as for a dude receiving a penalty.
Deed: 5 (1 M, 4H)
- 2nd Bank of Gomorra - High: If there is ghost rock on this, take the ghost rock if the deed is owned by an opponent, or has 4 or more ghost rock. Otherwise, place ghost rock. Moderate: If there is ghost rock on the deed, take it, otherwise add ghost rock.
- California Tax Office - High: If there are eligible dudes with upkeep higher than their player's stash, target one of those, following the rules for opposing dudes leaving play. Otherwise, target the dude with the highest upkeep.
- New Town Hall - High: Add a control point if the deed is owned by the Automaton, or if the Automaton currently has more control points than the opponent's influence. Otherwise, remove control points.
- The Joker's Smile - Moderate: If both abilities can be used, select the one that recovers a joker from Boot Hill.
- Walters Creek Distillery - High: Select a deed which is both a Saloon and a Casino, then a deed which does not have abilities that require booting, then a Casino. If a card is drawn due to this ability, do not discard down to hand size after this play.
Goods: 9 (7M, 2H)
- Baijiu Jar - High: When discarding cards, retain Actions with the following abilities: Cheatin' Resolutions, then Shootout, then Resolutions. Do not discard down to hand size after this play.
- Faithful Hound - Moderate: Always discard the opposing goods.
- Mechanical Horse - Moderate: During Noon, use the ability that lets the dude move to the type of location that would be selected by the current pull. Only pay to move with any given Mechanical Horse once per day.
- Pair of Six-Shooters - Moderate: Only use this if it can result in a legal hand with a higher rank than the current one or it can make a cheating hand into a legal hand of the same rank.
- See-Through Spectacles - High: For each of these in play, the Automaton may treat a non-heart card as a heart, or a heart card as a different value when attempting to make a straight flush in hearts.
- Quickdraw Handgun - Moderate: Only use this if it would result in a higher hand rank for the Automaton.
- Personal Ornithopter - Moderate: Only use the ability to send the dude home booted if there are no other Shootout abilities that can be used and no studs in the Automaton posse.
- Soul Cage - Moderate: Choose the Abomination with the highest cost, then one from Boot Hill.
- Xemo's Turban - Moderate: Do not use the ability.
Spells: 7 (3M, 3H, 1X)
- Confession - High: Priorities: Place bounty on an opposing dude at this location, then remove bounty from own dude, then place bounty on nearby opposing dude.
- Fetch - High: During lowball: Take a card of the non-clubs suit of which the Automaton has the fewest in play, then the one with the highest cost, then as for a shootout. During a Shootout: Take an action with a resolution ability, then a shootout ability, then as for lowball. Put the card in the left-most position in the Automaton's hand.
- Get Behind Me, Satan! - Moderate: Do not attach to a dude with 0 Blessed.
- Phantasm - High: Move a booted dude if possible. Move the dude to the Automaton's home, then a deed not owned by the Automaton, then a location with no non-Automaton dudes nearby, then a location with an Automaton dude.
- Shadow Walk - Moderate: Do not discard it for an extra Shootout play.
- Sight Beyond Sight - Not Recommended: The Automaton has no use for knowledge of the player's hand.
- Sun-Touched Raven - Moderate: Discard the cards with the lowest value. Do not draw a card.
Actions: 13 (5 M, 6 H, 2X)
- Establishin' Who's in Charge - High: Mark an Automaton deed (do not use it on an opposing deed), then lowest control points, then closest to home.
- Belligerence - High: If possible, unboot an unwanted dude, otherwise give the bullet and influence.
- Comin' Up Roses - Moderate: While this is in hand, may treat one card as another suit when attempting to make a flush or straight flush.
- It's Not What You Know... - Moderate: Use the Cheatin' Resolution if possible.
- Meet the New Boss - Moderate: If successful, ace it for influence.
- No Turning Back - Not Recommended: The Automaton doesn't handle the choice of which dude to ace (and whether to ace a dude at all) very well. High: If used, do not use the Noon Ability, and only use the Resolution ability if the Automaton is about to take two or more casualties, or about to discard a token dude as a casualty.
- Pinned Down - Moderate: Target as if selecting a dude to leave play.
- Polite Inquiries - Not Recommended: The Automaton has no use for extra card cycling.
- Recruitment Drive - High: Select the card with the highest cost, then as for playing a card not in hand.
- Technological Exhibition - High: Mark Town Square. Select highest cost gadget, then a gadget from discard.
- This'll Hurt in the Mornin' - High: Select cards so that the opponent's hand rank becomes as low as possible, then so it remains cheating.
Decklists
Starter decks for each faction, buildable from the cards in the box.
Anarchists
- Outfit: 108 Gracious Gifts
- Starting Gang: Randall; Asakichi Cooke; Emre, the Turkish Bear (exp. 1); Yunxu Jiang; Stevie Lyndon
- Dudes: 1x Allie Hensman; 2x Daomei Wang; 1x Pagliaccio; 1x Natalya; 1x Xui Yin Chen; 1x "Mahogany" Jackson; 1x Hao-T'e Zui, the Mad Monk
- Deeds: 2x Pony Express; 1x The Joker's Smile; 1x The Mayor's Office; 2x New Town Hall; 1x Pettigrew's Pawnshop; 1x 2nd Bank of Gomorra; 1x Hustings; 1x Dead Dog Tavern
- Goods: 2x Baijiu Jar; 2x Pair of Six-Shooters; 2x Bluetick; 2x Peacemaker; 1x Faithful Hound
- Actions: 2x Make 'Em Sweat; 2x Polite Inquiries; 2x Bottom Dealin'; 2x Zhu's Ferocity; 2x Raking Dragons; 2x ...It's Who You Know; 2x Ambush; 2x Rabbit's Lunar Leap; 2x Rabbit's Deception; 2x Crushing Inevitability
- Jokers: 1x Joker (black); 1x Joker (red)
Entrepreneurs
- Outfit: Morgan Regulators
- Starting Gang: Irving Patterson; Arnold Stewart; Chuan "Jen" Qi; Diego Linares; Maggie Harris
- Dudes: 2x Seamus O'Toole; 2x Jon Longstride; 2x Lane Healey; 1x Jarrett Blake; 2x Buckin' Billy Ballard; 1x Clint Ramsey; 1x E.B. Farnum
- Deeds: 1x Killer Bunnies Casino; 1x Mount Moriah Cemetery; 1x Nickel Night Inn; 1x Cattle Market; 1x Sherman Mortgage; 1x Circle M Ranch; 1x Pat's Perch; 1x California Tax Office; 2x Hellstromme Plant #9; 1x Huntsmen's Society; 1x Cliff's #4 Saloon
- Goods: 2x Roan; 2x See-Through Spectacles; 2x Flame-Thrower; 2x Ragged Mule; 1x Buffalo Rifle; 1x Rapier; 2x Yagn's Mechanical Skeleton; 2x Guide Horse
- Actions: 2x Calling the Cavalry; 2x Technological Exhibition; 2x Ridden Down; 1x Flight of the Lepus; 2x Outgunned; 1x It's Not What You Know...
- Jokers: 1x Joker (black); 1x Joker (red)
Fearmongers
- Outfit: Serpentine Syndicate
- Starting Gang: Landon Grimes; Pagliaccio; The Brute; Valeria Batten; Alfred Byrne
- Dudes: 1x Bobo; 1x Alan Campbell; 2x Sylvester Heath; 1x Angela Payne; 2x Avie Cline; 2x Jia Mein; 1x Nicodemus Whateley
- Deeds: 2x Epidemic Laboratory; 1x Old Marge's Manor; 1x Surveyor's Office; 1x Baird's Build & Loan; 1x Carter's Bounties; 2x Walters Creek Distillery; 1x Cliff's #4 Saloon; 2x General Store; 1x Silent Sigil
- Goods: 1x Wendy's Teethkickers; 1x Jael's Guile; 1x Scoop Hound; 2x Soul Cage
- Spells: 2x Paralysis Mark; 2x Phantasm; 2x Shadow Walk; 2x Blood Curse; 2x Sight Beyond Sight
- Actions: 2x Calling the Cavalry; 2x Technological Exhibition; 2x Ridden Down; 1x Flight of the Lepus; 2x Outgunned; 1x It's Not What You Know...
- Jokers: 1x Joker (black); 1x Joker (red)
First Peoples
- Outfit: The Spiritual Society
- Starting Gang: Alexander Sequoia; Rob Wilby; Mazatl; Enapay; Zachary Deloria
- Dudes: 1x Angela Payne; 2x Bloody Teeth; 1x Clint Ramsey; 2x Smiling Frog; 2x Eagle Woman That All Look At; 1x Jacqueline Isham
- Deeds: 1x Old Marge's Manor; 1x Surveyor's Office; 1x Baird's Build & Loan; 1x Carter's Bounties; 1x California Tax Office; 1x Huntsmen's Society; 2x "Open Wound"; 1x Railroad Station; 1x The Whateley Estate
- Goods: 1x Jael's Guile; 1x Scoop Hound; 1x Buffalo Rifle; 1x Rapier; 2x Silver-Weaved Staff
- Spells: 2x Spirit Dance; 2x Red Horse's Tail; 2x Spirit Trail; 2x Many Speak as One; 2x Fire of Nanahbozho
- Actions: 2x Ricochet; 1x Trick Shooting; 1x Recruitment Drive; 1x Too Much Attention; 1x Unprepared; 2x Meet the New Boss; 2x Election Day Slaughter; 2x Nightmare at Noon
- Jokers: 1x Joker (black); 1x Joker (red)
Law Dogs
- Outfit: Law Dogs
- Starting Gang: Philip Swinford; Rob Wilby; Tommy Harden; "Thunder Boy" Nabbe; Hattie DeLorre
- Dudes: 1x Asakichi Cooke; 1x Lawrence Blackwood; 1x Ramiro Mendoza; 1x Bobo; 2x Erik Samson; 2x El Anonimo; 2x Judge Harry Somerset (exp. 1); 1x Bass Reeves
- Deeds: 1x Hustings; 1x The Orphanage; 2x Yan Li's Tailoring; 1x Clanton Ranch; 1x Shane & Graves Security; 1x Killer Bunnies Casino; 1x Mount Moriah Cemetery; 1x Nickel Night Inn; 1x Circle M Ranch; 1x Pat's Perch; 2x The Gomorra Gazette; 1x Railroad Station
- Goods: 2x Bowie Knife; 2x Shotgun; 2x Winchester Model 1873; 2x Quickdraw Handgun; 2x Fancy New Hat
- Actions: 2x Sun in Yer Eyes; 2x The Stakes Just Rose; 2x Faster on the Draw; 2x Bounty Hunter; 2x This'll Hurt in the Mornin'; 2x Point Blank
- Jokers: 1x Joker (black); 1x Joker (red)
Outlaws
- Outfit: The Sloane Gang
- Starting Gang: Allie Hensman; Ike Clanton; Lawrence Blackwood; Miranda Clarke; Jacqueline Isham
- Dudes: 1x Rattler Young 'Un; 1x The Brute; 1x "Mahogany" Jackson; 2x Pancho Castillo; 2x Baker Andrews; 1x Dave "Slim" Gorman; 1x Jessica Patchett
- Deeds: 1x The Mayor's Office; 2x B & B Attorneys; 1x Clanton Ranch; 1x Dead Dog Tavern; 2x Charlie's Place; 1x Long Strides Ranch; 1x Shane & Graves Security; 1x Cattle Market; 2x Hunter Protections; 1x Sherman Mortgage
- Goods: 1x La Quema; 1x Faithful Hound; 2x Tusk; 1x Mustang; 2x Pearl-Handled Revolver; 2x LeMat Revolver; 2x Pinto
- Actions: 2x Mugging; 2x Belligerence; 2x Coachwhip!; 2x Hiding in the Shadows; 2x Pistol Whip; 2x Kidnappin'; 2x Pinned Down
- Jokers: 1x Joker (black); 1x Joker (red)
Tokens
The rulebook's punchboard token key identifies these tokens: value modifier, faction icon, Dealer, stud / draw marker, bullet modifier, control, influence, ghost rock, bonus or penalty, ability used, shooter, temporary effect, permanent effect, Noon duration, Shootout duration, and mark.
Watermark
Some cards in this set feature a watermark on the text box. This watermark has no impact on gameplay, and is instead a visual aid indicating these cards have been functionally updated since their previous printings. That way, it should be quicker for existing players to identify which of their cards they should prioritize switching out for the new versions!